The Cavaliers went 48-34 last season. They beat the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs in seven games, but lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round in five games.
Garland averaged 3.6 fewer points last season than he did in 2022-23. His efficiency has also declined.
“It’s been a strange and uneven season largely due to circumstances beyond Garland’s control,” Joe Wolffond of The Score He tore his hamstring on opening night, struggled to return two weeks later, then broke his jaw just as he was finally getting back on track in December. He missed six weeks, lost 12 pounds, and never quite looked right afterward. It’s important to keep those mitigating factors in mind when evaluating Garland — who was an All-Star at age 22 just two years ago — but we can still be honest about the role he played in the Cavs’ disappointing campaign.
“His control was looser than in previous years, leading to major turnover issues and an inability to create separation. He didn’t look comfortable driving or finishing through contact, shooting just 46 percent on drives after shooting above 50 percent in each of the previous two seasons. That aversion to physicality also made him more exploitable defensively, and he was relentlessly hunted for that in the playoffs.”
Garland averaged 18.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.1 blocks last season, while shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three-point range and 83.4 percent from the free throw line. He will earn $36.7 million next season.
The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans attempted to trade for Garland this offseason, sources told Hoops Wire.
The Cavaliers are not interested in trading Garland, sources said.
Cleveland selected Garland with the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. The 24-year-old has career averages of 18.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.1 blocks.
“If Garland can get back on his star trajectory and elevate in the way that once seemed inevitable, it will give the team a chance to take flight,” Wolfond wrote.
